The European Commission has adopted a two-year-long moratorium on the use of three necotinoid pesticides believed to be one of the reasons behind a 30 percent annual decrease in bee populations since 2007.

EU member-states will now have to amend their existing
legislation on the use of pesticides by September 30 to comply with
the ban adopted by the EC on Friday.

The substances in question are clothianidin, imidacloprid and
thiametoxam, used for treatment of seeds and foliage as well as for
making soil more fertile. All pose "high acute
risks" for bees, according to a scientific report by the
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

European countries have been given six months to use up their
current stocks of the chemicals. Scientists will then have two
years to determine whether the ban helps stop declines in bee
populations, after which the restriction may be reviewed. Until
that point, the pesticide ban will be upheld.

The ban is “another milestone towards ensuring a healthier
future for our honeybees, as bees have two important roles to play:
Not only that of producing honey but primarily to be a pollinator.
About 80 percent of all pollination is due to the activity of bees
– this is natural and free of costs,” according to Tonio Borg,
Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy. Bees “contribute
over € 22 billion annually to European agriculture,” he
added.

The European Commission forced its bee-protection plan through
after it failed to get support from a sufficient majority of EU
member-states in an April 29 vote: Only 15 out of 27 EU members
supported the pesticides ban.

“In absence of an agreement between Member States, it is for
the Commission to decide on the adoption of the proposed
restriction,” a European Commission press release said.

The decision is a blow to two major necotinoids producers, Bayer
of Germany and Switzerland's Syngenta, who maintain there is not
enough evidence their products are contributing to the decline in
bee populations.

The European Commission’s report also points to other factors
that may be responsible for the mass bee deaths, include parasites,
other pathogens, a lack of veterinary medicines or their misuse,
apiculture management, environmental factors such as a lack of
habitat and feed, and climate change. Prior to the ban, the
European Commission allocated €3.3 million for research into the
bee deaths.

The sharp decline in bee populations has taken place over the
last 10-15 years, according to an EFSA report; scientists have
labeled the phenomenon Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

The issue is equally acute in the US, where according
to a Department of Agriculture report, the number of colonies has
plummeted from 3 million in 1990 to 2.5 million this year.